Mercenaries: Revisited
by ellerean
Summary: The Greil Mercenaries are getting back together after the Mad King's War, but someone has to get stuck re-recruiting Shinon.  oneshot


"And then it was like, bam! Took out three guys at once! Man, you should have seen it. Daein never saw it comin'. I mean, look at me! Imagine all this in a suit of armor, moving that fast?"

The regulars hardly lift their heads to Gatrie's tale, having heard it—and several variations of it—several times over. Some young guys are hanging around him, wide-eyed, absorbing every word he shares of the glory of war.

War. Pah.

"My buddy was there, too," Gatrie says, placing a firm hand on Shinon's shoulder. "You haven't seen a guy shoot until you've seen him in action!"

Shinon dumps the remainder of his ale down his throat.

"Hey, mister!" One of the youngsters inches nearer to his side, an arm brushing against his free shoulder. He twitches it off. "I've always wanted to shoot a bow!"

"That's nice."

"Would you teach me?" The kid says, grabbing his arm. "Please?"

"No." Shinon abruptly rises from the table, knocking both the kid and Gatrie off-balance as he walks away.

"Don't mind him," Gatrie says, lowering his voice. Surely he's making up some excuse for Shinon's behavior, but he's too far from the table now to hear. He works his way toward the bar, ignoring the looks of those he passes.

"Kids these days, eh?" the bartender says, refilling his stein.

"What's the deal, anyway?" Shinon says, leaning an elbow against the bar. "Why do people romanticize war? It's annoying."

The bartender shrugs, sliding the ale to his favorite customer. "You're the one always hanging out with him," he says, jerking his chin in Gatrie's direction. "Why?"

Shinon shrugs a shoulder. "Pity."

He mindlessly stares at the crowd, leaning his back against the bar as the ale works its way through his bloodstream. He hardly takes note of the woman who has materialized beside him; he hardly takes note of anyone. It is not until she mimics his stance, leaning against the bar, that he glances over. He chuckles softly.

"Deputy commander," he says.

"Shinon," Titania replies.

"This must be important."

"What?" she says, smiling. "A friend can't stop by and say hello?"

"Suspicious," he says, but there is a trace of admiration in his voice. "Come sit. Want something?" She declines a drink—not that he wanted to pay, anyhow—and follows him to a small table away from Gatrie and his admirers.

"Some things don't change," Titania says, glancing at the crowd.

"Unfortunately, yes." Shinon leans back in his chair, holding his stein in both hands. This night just got a little more interesting. For once, he's not bored out of his mind. "So. What brings you here?"

"The mercenaries are getting back together," she says, simply.

Shinon laughs. "What, little Lord Ikey tired of playing the noble? Why isn't he here himself?"

"Come on, Shinon." She sighs. "You know the answer to that."

"Enlighten me."

She crosses her arms. "You wouldn't consider it."

"You know me well, deputy commander." It's weird. He sees Gatrie every day without that bulk of armor, but it's unnatural to witness Titania in something resembling casual clothes. Even when they lived at the base, she…

"Shinon?"

"What?"

"You're coming, right?"

He props an elbow on the table, pretending to be absorbed in his fingernails. He eventually looks up at Titania, after a considerable pause. "Why?"

"It's the only life we know," she says, resting her forearms on the table, her head lowered. "It's where we're happiest."

"Happy?" He scoffs, slamming the stein to the table. "That group is nothing without Commander Greil. I wasn't _happy_, and neither were you."

Titania runs a hand through her hair, her fingers lost amidst the bright red tresses. "Fine," she says. "Come because we need you." She pauses. "Because I want you there."

Shinon grins. "Now that's more like it." He rises from the table, extending a hand. Titania rises to shake it. "Pleasure working with you, deputy commander." He knocks down his chair in an attempt to move away from it, its fall to the ground audible enough for the other patrons to take notice.

"Hey! Titania!" Gatrie cries, flailing his arms as he approaches. "When did you get here? Wow! I knew you missed ol' Gatrie."

"Come on," Shinon says. "We're leaving."

"What? Where? What's going on?"

Shinon strides toward the exit, expecting them to follow.


End file.
